Igor Termenón visited ‘The Hoodie’ exhibition at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam during a rainy evening in March 2020.
The one with your university logo, the one you bought to work out but ended up using at home or the one from your teenage years with your favourite band on it. If you’re reading this, chances are that you own at least one hoodie.
Curated by fashion writer Lou Stoppard, ‘The Hoodie’ at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, examines this piece of clothing and considers its role as a socio-political carrier.
One of the most hyped fashion items in the last decade — think of the popularity of Vetements‘ and Raf Simons‘ designs, amongst others — the hoodie is a garment that is also tightly associated with social inequality, racism, privacy or fear.
This exhibition explores the meaning of the hoodie through different media, combining digital footage, artworks, printed matter and other content formats with garments. The works displayed trace the evolution of this piece of clothing from 1930s workwear — popularised by Champion — to icon of streetwear, whilst exploring the social connotations of a garment, which depend on the age, gender, ethnicity and geography of the wearer, and are also affected by the prejudices and politics of the viewer.
The Hoodie at Het Nieuwe Instituut
Until 12/04/2020 – temporarily closed due to COVID-19
Museumpark 25, 3015 CB Rotterdam, Netherlands
